Posts Tagged: ‘Miscellaneous’

Cruising 2019 – Originally Published February 2019

February 10, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve been cruising again!  I checked my article index and found that it has been only a year since I wrote about “cruising technology”.  Normally, I probably wouldn’t again address the topic so quickly, but I had some new and unique experiences this trip.  Some things have gotten better and others are worse.  Unfortunately, the worse column is much bigger than the better.

Most things haven’t changed much since I last wrote a cruising article (February 2017).  This trip I brought my cell phone, a seven inch tablet, an eleven inch convertible tablet and my laptop.  On my last cruise, the internet was slow, but adequate.  I foolishly thought I would get some website redesign completed.  So far this trip, the satellite service has been slow and inadequate.  I’m not sure of the reason, but I think it is partially due to many more people using the WIFI network to access the “Carnival Hub”.

The Carnival Hub is the cruise line’s app that connects to the ship’s WIFI to allow passengers to do several things:
• View the weather for each day of sailing
• View dining menus
• Search for family and friends on board
• View and purchase shore excursions
• Chat with family and friends on board (five dollar activation fee)
• Day by day schedule of on board events
• “Favorites” feature with a reminder for upcoming events
• Searchable deck plans with key areas highlighted
• Real time information on current account balance
• Much more

This application has been greatly improved since the last time I sailed.  It is free to use, but it seems that satellite internet traffic has been much slower this time.  I can’t know for sure.  I do know that it is faster early in the day before most people are awake.

When you purchase the cruise line internet plan, you are only allowed to log on with one device at a time.  I had successfully used my seven and eleven inch tablets, my cell phone, my wife’s tablet and cell phone.  On the second day of the cruise, I was going to do some editing on the club newsletter.  I booted my laptop, but it refused to connect to the internet.  Finally, I was frustrated enough to go to the service desk and ask.  The girl that was working there said that several people were having the same problem.  She said that it was some kind of DNS problem.  I told her thanks and changed my settings to “Obtain DNS server address automatically”.  I had been using Google DNS servers as they are usually a little faster.  She was amazed and had me show her what to do.  After griping about the ship’s tech support, she jokingly (I think) asked me to apply for a job.

Other things haven’t changed too much.  Most people are still doing their book reading on Kindles, iPads, Android tablets or large screen smart phones.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         It does seem that fewer people are reading, but I am sure that is just a bad observation on my part. I won’t be taking the “Behind the Scenes” tour this time so the only shipboard technology I’ve seen is the retail sales system and the bingo playing software. Of course, there is a lot of other technology at the casino.
Sounds like we’re coming back next January. I guess I could be talked into it.
Thanks for reading.

Cleaning Out Evernote – Originally Published January 2018

January 1, 2018 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

One of the few programs I spend money on is Evernote.  I’ve used it for several years and find it indispensable.  As I write this, I’ve got 634 notes saved in 71 notebooks.  I’ve got eight notebooks just for SWLAPCUG stuff.  I’ve got one notebook where I save stuff that I want to check later.  I’ve been a little remiss in clearing out this notebook.  There is 66 notes that I have to take action on.  I thought this might be a good time to share some of my oddities with the club.

1. How to Use Your Laptop Like an External Monitor is an article from Make Use Of that I saved because I use multiple monitors.  After rereading it, I’m deciding that it’s too much trouble.  I’m deleting the note.
2. How to Disable the HomeGroup Feature in Windows (and Remove It from File Explorer) is a How To Geek tutorial.  I forgot that I had saved it almost a year ago.  I had made the changes on all my computers except the desktop.  It’s changed now and the note is deleted.
3. Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with ADB was a Make Tech Easier article with a good tutorial for using the Android Debug Bridge (ADB).  I moved it to my Android notebook so that I’ll know where to find it when I need it again.
4. How to Connect Multiple External Monitors to Your Laptop is another How To Geek article that I thought would be useful.  After rereading it, I realized the advice was to plug the internal monitor into a port.  Another one for the trash bin.
5. Make Tech Easier had an article titled 5 of the Best Camera Apps for Android You Should Try.  I should delete this link to, but someday I’m going to try them.
6. ManualLib is a useful site for downloading manuals for just about everything.  Good thing I’m writing this article because I finally got the link moved from Evernote to my web browser links.
7. I saved this article from Android Central. Best Universal Lenses For Android Phones is a review of attachable camera lenses.  I was thinking about spending a little money and getting one.  After further reflection I decided not to waste my money.  My Canon camera takes better pictures.
8. I made a note on the Q4 Operating System.  I have computers with various Linux Distros, Windows 10, 7 and XP, and iOS.  I thought about trying this one, but deleted it.
9. Media Bias Fact Check is an online media outlet dedicated to educating the public on media bias and deceptive news practices.  I don’t remember where I originally found out about the site, but I put a link (right underneath Snopes) on my browser home page.
10. TV Series Finale is a site that I added to my browser entertainment bookmarks.  It keeps users up to date on whether a TV show has been renewed, canceled or put on hiatus.  There is also a lot of other television information on the site.

This is just ten of the actions I did.  I don’t usually let my “action” notebook get so bloated.  I guess I can blame it on spending too much time redoing the clubs’ website portal.  Most of the remaining notes I deleted.  There were a few that I have posted on the club forums.  There were some that will end up in a future newsletter Mindbender.  Out of the original 66 notes, I kept four for future action.

My next project is to review and clean out my seventy other notebooks.  That will probably be a good project for next month on the cruise ship.  I’ve got a feeling there will be more links posted on the club’s website.

Thanks for reading.

Watching Television – Originally Published November 2017

November 5, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Creating my presentation for the club meeting this month gave me a chance to reflect on how my television viewing habits have changed in the last fifty or sixty years.  I remember when I was young and my father bought our first TV.  Although I don’t recall the make or model, I remember how big the box was for such a small viewing screen.  There were never arguments at our house on what to watch.  This wasn’t because of the lack of channels.  My father made the decision and the rest of us watched.

After I grew up and joined the Navy, there wasn’t much TV for me.  This was because of a lack of channels.  There wasn’t any of them in the middle of the ocean.  This was long before satellites.  We relied on friends and families mailing us VCR tapes of popular shows.  That is how I first watched Star Trek, Gilligan’s Island, McHale’s Navy and many others.

Fast forward to the 1990’s when I briefly owned a satellite receiver.  The main thing I remember about the dish network is how the darn thing would be mostly static whenever we got a heavy downpour of rain or snow.  At the time, I was living in a really small town (population about 1500). The choices were dish or an over the air antenna.  This was also the era when I first put in a second phone line for the internet, but that’s a story for another article.

In 2000, four small towns in the area banded together and created The Community Agency (TCA). The TCA was (and still is) a locally owned municipality utility that provided high‑speed telecommunications service.  These included high speed internet, cable television and telephone service.  This was my first experience with broad band and that is all I’ve used for internet access since.

Today, I’m still using cable services.  My television in the living room gets all of the premium services: HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and the sports channels.  People that know me can tell you what a great pricing deal I have.  The funny part is that neither the wife or myself seldom watch any of these stations.

In my computer room, where I spend a lot of my time, I’ve installed two over the air antennas which I use to watch and record televison on Next PVR.  I get plenty of channels that I like and usually have a show running on one of the four monitors I have installed.  Sometimes I find myself watching so much television that I don’t get any reading done.  It can be a hard job keeping up with the vast wasteland.

If you’re wondering why I have bored you with this brief history of my television viewing experiences, it is because I’m hoping to entice you to come to this months club meeting.  I am going to demonstrate my latest TV viewing method.  I recently purchased a Roku Ultra.  I will also be showing some interesting web sites for obtaining free television and movies.  Come to the meeting.  I think you will enjoy learning about this technology.

Thanks for reading.

Summer Reading List – Originally Published October 2017

October 8, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Ever since I learned how, I’ve always been an avid reader.  My parents didn’t have a television until I was about ten years old.  That never bothered me.  The library had a lot of entertainment.  In later life, when I was in the Navy, I seldom watched the ship’s movie.  I was busy finishing reading one more chapter of my book before lights out.  These days, I still read at least a dozen magazines each month.  I am usually reading three or four books at a time.  I’ve got my bedside book, bathroom book, digital book and an audio book for my morning walk.

This year I did something new.  I created a “summer reading list” of all the books I was going to read this past season.  I’ve never felt the need to do that before this year.  As I’ve gotten a little older, my memory is starting to slide a little.  I thought that a reading list would remind me of books I’ve wanted to read.

Now that we’re into October, I realize that I haven’t finished my reading list.  I thought I’d take a few minutes and share my books to read list with you.  These are all books that I haven’t yet read.  I’ve included the Amazon link for each title just in case anyone else would like to read them.  I’m not sure, but I don’t think any of them are available from the Parish library.

The Manly Art of Knitting – The description says it all. Who am I to not read a cult classic.
• Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World – With a sixteen word title, this just has to be a great book.
Winning Lotto / Lottery For Everyday Players – I’ll read this if I ever start playing the lottery.
The 2009-2014 Outlook for Wood Toilet Seats in Greater China – I’ve been to China two or three times and never realized this was a problem.
Quotations From Chairman Mao Tse-Tung – Confucius say, “Smooth words and fawning looks are seldom found with love. ”
Much Ado About Nothing: The Restored Klingon Text – Shakespeare kind of looked like a Klingon.
What’s Your Poo Telling You? – Sometimes I’m just overly curious.
Fancy Coffins to Make Yourself – I’ve been thinking of taking up woodworking and this looks like an interesting first project.
Reusing Old Graves – I need someplace to put those fancy coffins that I’m going to make.
A Passion for Donkeys – I figure that any book that gets a five star rating on Amazon must be a good one to read.
The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America – I just hate going to the Walmart parking lot.

I guess you’ve probably figured out by now that I don’t really plan on reading all of these books.  I will admit that I have read one of the books on the list.  I won’t tell you which one.  You can feel free to read any of them and post a review on our club website.
A final thought.  Looking at this book list, I’m reminded of one book that it makes me want to read it again.  It was one of Ray Bradbury’s best books.

That’s all of my thoughts for October.  My mind is empty again.  Thanks for reading.

Best Linux Distribution? – Originally Published October 2017

October 8, 2017 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

Whenever geeks start talking about Linux, at some time the conversation turns to “Which Linux Distribution is the best?”  Sometimes I find that to be a little amusing. Does anyone ever discuss which Window OS is the best?  As I write this, Microsoft is in some fashion still supporting these different Operating Systems.

• Windows 10 Home
• Windows 10 Pro
• Windows 10 Pro Education
• Windows 10 Enterprise
• Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB
• Windows 10 Education
• Windows 10 Mobile
• Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise
• Windows 10 IoT Core
• Windows 10 IoT Enterprise
• Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise
• Windows 8.1
• Windows 8.1 Pro
• Windows 8.1 Enterprise
• Windows 8
• Windows 8 Pro
• Windows 8 Enterprise
• Windows 8 OEM
• Windows 7 Starter
• Windows 7 Home Basic
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Windows 7 Professional
• Windows 7 Enterprise
• Windows 7 Ultimate
• Window 7 Thin PC

This is just a partial list.  There are also several Microsoft OSs for servers, foreign countries, specialized businesses, etc.  You can also still use Microsoft non-supported systems.

Linux distributions are similar to all of those Windows OSs.  They all operate the same, but have different interfaces.  These “shells” can change the appearance and feel of the different distros, but underneath, it is still a Linux kernel running the show.  Linux distros are easy to download and test.  Many of them can even be run from a USB flash drive.

My answer to the “best Linux” question is the same as my answer to the best automobile, the best phone, the best breed of dog, or the best anything.  Whichever works for you is the best.

Thanks for reading.

A Little Bit of Bragging – Originally Published September 2017

September 3, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

It’s even hard for me to believe.  For some unknown reason, I’m having a hard time deciding on a topic to write about this month.  Everyone that knows me can tell you that I am seldom at a loss for words.  I have an opinion on almost every subject.

I keep an Evernote file with article ideas.  Whenever I get an idea for a future article, I make a note of it.  Now that I’m actually looking at the list, none of the topics seem to appeal to me.

I loaded my Whatchamacallit template file.  Then I opened my index list and looked at the blank subject line for September 2017.  All of a sudden, it hit me what I was going to write about.

This month, I’m going to brag a little bit.  If you find that you’re not interested, please go on to the next article in the newsletter.  I won’t be offended.  Heck, I won’t even know you didn’t read this article.

Way back in February 2009, what originally started as a one time article where I was complaining about all of the crap ware installed on a new computer, turned into a series of 90 diatribes.  That adds up to around 54,000 words or so.  I sure hope that I haven’t created too much wamble.

February must be a slow month for me.  In 2011, I sent the Newsletter Editor my first Mind Bender puzzle.  Everyone seems to like them as I get a lot of comments and suggestions for future flummoxes.  Looking back, I find it hard to believe that I’ve created 77 assorted mystifiers.

In May of that same year, so many people asked me about the KeePass password program that I wrote a review for the monthly newsletter.  From that humble beginning evolved a series of 44 Lagniappe articles with my reviews of free software.  Another 27,000 words or so of grandiloquence.

In January of last year, I started to run out of subjects to ramble about.  That was when I went to the Darkside and started to relate my experiences and thoughts on Android devices and apps.  I don’t know if I’ve managed to elucidate anything, but I’ve tried 26 times, another 14,000 words or so.

Add in a few Christmas poems and a couple of fill in for the President messages makes me think I’ve probably put way over 150,000 words in the Newsletter.  No wonder I hardly ever get time to post anything on the club web site.

I may have to take a sabbatical.  I could use a little rest.

That’s all of my thoughts for August.  My mind is empty again.  I hope I didn’t bore everyone too much.  Thanks for reading.

Leaning Towards Linux – Originally Published August 2017

August 8, 2017 Posted by Tiny

From the Dark Side
by Tiny Ruisch

Tom wrote an article for the Newsletter titled “More Microsoft Aggravations”.  I’ll state for the record that I am not in total agreement with him.  I’m leaning towards being much more maddened than he is.  It has been slowly building up for two years now.  I’ll be happy to tell you why.

Windows 10 was released on July 29, 2015.  At that time I was running Windows 7 Professional on my desktop, Windows 7 Home on my laptop, Windows XP on an old desktop that I was using as a server, Windows 8.1 on a tablet, an older laptop with Linux Ubuntu and a laptop with the Windows 10 beta test (the club may remember me demonstrating the new OS with this machine in August 2015).  With the exception of the tablet, I used all the machines almost daily.

I decided that I wasn’t going to upgrade my Windows 7 machines.  This was partly because they were (and still are) both aging and I didn’t think Windows 10 would work well on them.  Besides, I had spent seven years getting my desktop setup just the way I like it.  Being only five years old, my laptop wasn’t quite so ancient.  I still think I made the correct decision as both machines still run fairly well.  In the past, I’ve written several articles on my maintenance and upkeep procedures.

With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft changed their marketing strategies.  It wasn’t long before they released the (in)famous GWX update that attempted to install the new operating system on every computer in the world.  There was a lot of deceit and trickery involved.  Many people had a new OS installed even if they didn’t want it.

In the intervening two years I’ve purchased the Nextbook 11, a convertible tablet.  It runs Windows 10 home and works well for my portability needs.  My Windows 7 desktop and laptop are still my two main productivity machines.  The laptop with the Windows 10 fast ring sits unused waiting for me to put a linux distribution on it.  I’m thinking of turning it into a media server.

I find myself getting more upset with the Microsoft Windows world almost every day.  I can’t say that there is any single, glaring thing, but instead a bunch of small aggravations.

  • Updates install programs that I don’t want or need.
  • Updates remove programs that I use.
  • File associations getting changed.
  • Getting unwanted advertisements (oops! Notifications).
  • Difficulty in navigating Windows settings.
  • Not having control over my hardware drivers.

These are just a few of the most noticeable gripes that I have.  It doesn’t appear that things will improve in the near future.  Maybe I will be surprised, but I’m thinking that things will get worse before they get better.

Linux is looking better every day.

Thanks for reading.

Missing the Circus and Other Things – Originally Published July 2017

July 5, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Everyone knows how much I like technology.  One of the few things I don’t like about new technologies is how it has made many of the other things I like obsolete.  Does anyone still fly a kite?  Every now and then I see kites for sale in one of the local stores.  I can’t remember the last time I actually saw one flying in the air.  Like many other things, technology has largely replaced them with drones or virtual reality simulations. The days of going to the park and watching the kids showing off their kites are history.  These days, they’re playing with their tablets.

I recently lost another of my favorite activities to technology.  Never again will I be able to take my Grandson to a circus.  People are spending their money on other forms of entertainment.  Of course, the entertainment mostly relies on technologies such as fast internet to deliver movies, virtual reality, CGI movies, etc.

When I was younger, it was a treat to ride a train to the city for a day of shopping with my parents.  Although, you can still ride the train in some areas, modern technologies have made it more difficult.  In this modern age, we go everywhere in our high tech automobiles and airplanes.  Passenger train routes are limited in locations and times.  Never again will we routinely see a steam locomotive on the tracks.

My son in law and youngest grandson are X-Box fans.  In their house they have three of them.  I get a laugh when they play a game together.  Each of them is in a different room and they communicate either over headphones or by yelling across the house.  It makes me nostalgic for the old Atari console.  You hooked up your controllers and competed with a player in the same room.  I can’t remember the last time I played a game of cribbage, chess, monopoly, etc. that wasn’t on a computer screen.

I’m writing this column while sitting in a rocking chair on my back porch.  Porches are another thing that technology has largely made obsolete.  When we do sit on the porch, we seldom just sit.  Instead we are looking at our mobile devices.  I remember the days when the back porch was a place to sit, talk and just watch the world go by.

Have you heard that vinyl records are making a comeback among people that take their music seriously?  Today’s younger generation has no idea what a record, cassette tape, reel to reel, 45 RPM, etc is.  Almost all music is listened to online of downloaded as an audio file.  Technology strikes again.

Of course, technology has also replaced a lot of thing that I won’t miss.  I like having a large library on my mobile device.  Automatic transmissions make driving easier.  A computer in your pocket makes lots of things easier.  There is so much good that it almost sounds like a future column.

Thanks for reading.

Choosing a VPN – Originally Published May 2017

May 4, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

Should you be using a Virtual Private Network (VPN)?  If you’re connected to a public Wi-Fi network, the answer is definitely yes.  If you’re connected to your home network, you may or may not need to.  Personally, I connect to a VPN almost every time I connect to the internet.

Simply defined, a VPN extends your private network (internet connection) to a public network by creating an encrypted “tunnel”.  In effect, you mask your computer from places you visit when you are online.  A VPN will not make your online connection completely anonymous, but it will increase your privacy and security.

You’ve probably heard that your internet speed will slow down when you are using a VPN.  This is true, but in most cases, the slowdown is so negligible that you will probably not notice it.  Most of the slower VPN services are the “free” ones.  I have used a paid VPN for several years now.  There have only been a few times that I’ve cursed my downloading speed.

Many sites on the internet are restricted to certain locales.  By utilizing a VPN you can easily bypass them and appear to be browsing from a completely different place in the world.  If you do a lot of online shopping, you can often get a lower price by using your VPN.  Many companies offer different prices, depending on where you live.  I’ll let you determine the legality of doing these things.

There are many other reasons you might want to use a VPN.  I won’t bore you by trying to list them all in this article.  An internet search will give you a much more thorough and precise list.  Just remember, all VPNs are not created equal.  If it is free, find out what the real cost is.

Selecting which VPN to use can be the most difficult part of using a service.  Besides cost, some things to check is how many servers the company has and where they are located.  Many VPN providers just buy bandwidth from other companies and resell it.  Should the service go down, you might have a wait.  Another important thing to check is whether or not the provider keeps a log of your internet surfing.  Like many other things, this will vary among companies, so make sure you read the fine print.  If you want privacy, you don’t want a record kept of your internet browsing.  Be careful when reading online reviews.  Many of them are in reality paid for by the VPN service.  The article headline will usually be something like “The Best VPN” and then not do a comparison.  Another giveaway headline is something similar to “Get a Lifetime Subscription to ??? VPN For Only X Dollars.

I have one last suggestion.  Make one of your first search stops That One Privacy Site.  There you can find an excellent tutorial on how to choose your VPN.  The site doesn’t recommend a VPN but instead has an excellent, frequently updated chart of almost 200 services.  There are comparison columns for trustworthiness, affiliates, jurisdiction, logging polices, price and many more.

I’m wishing you some happy and secure online activities.
Thanks for reading.

April Fools Pranks – Originally Published April 2017

April 7, 2017 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

April is here again.  I won’t make the same mistake I did last year when I wrote an April Fools column about leaving Lake Charles.  I sure got a lot of questions about why I was moving.  I’ve always been an April Fooler type of person.  It all started several years ago when I was almost born on April 1.

In this modern age, April 1 pranks almost beg to be played on someones computer.  Almost every one uses a laser mouse these days.  They can be easily disabled with a small piece of tape or a post it note on the sensor.  Many people won’t notice and will have a hard time figuring out why all of a sudden their mouse isn’t working.  You can confuse them even more by opening mouse properties in the control panel.  Change the mouse speed to the slowest setting will make any mouse activities an ordeal.

Another prank that has been around forever can still confuse even a veteran computer user.  Simply take a screen shot of your victim’s computer.  Then hide all of the desktop icons and replace their wallpaper with the screen shot.  Sit back and watch them click on icons that won’t load a program.

Another quick prank is to open Google’s home page in a browser.  Click on preferences and change the default language.  You’d be surprised at how many people this trick will fool.

All of the following pranks in this article have been tested on Windows computers.  I haven’t done any research to see if they will work on Apple’s Operating System(s).  It shouldn’t be to hard to find out if you’re interested.

Many users don’t know about sticky keys.  Sticky keys will change how the Ctrl, Alt, Shift and Windows Key will function.   When enabled, keys are serialized instead of operating together.  For instance, instead of typing “Shift – a” to capitalize, you would have to type “Shift”, release the key and then type “a”.  This key change will drive an unsuspecting victim crazy.  Sticky keys are enabled easily by pressing the “Shift” key five times in quick succession.

An evil prank that you should only play on someone that won’t beat you up is to cause their computer to shut down.  Right click on one of the icons on your victims desk top.  Type the following in the target box: %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe -s -f -t 100 -c “Your Message Here”.  “Your Message Here” can be replaced with whatever message you like.  I use something like “That does not compute so I am shutting down” or “I’m sleepy.  I think I’ll shut down and rest now.”

Whenever your victim double clicks on that shortcut, their program will not start.  Instead, your message will display for 100 seconds (unless you change the number in the target box.)  Then the computer will shut down.

These computer pranks are all designed for the Windows operating system.  Although they are non-destructive, you run the risk of aggravating the user and making him or her possibly want to harm you.  Use them at your own risk.

Here is one last little April Fools that is easy to implement.  Surprisingly, even though it has been around for a long time, a lot of people don’t know about it.  You can try it out right now.

Press Ctrl-Alt-Down Arrow on your keyboard.

It would be nice if you fix their computer for them afterword, but who am I to tell you what to do?

Thanks for reading.